Combined automatic and manually-operated piano.



- ivo'. 869,230.

.UNITED s'r TEs PATENT OFFICE.

MELVILLE CLARK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

COMBINED AUTOMATIC AND MANUALLY-OPERATED PIANO.

Specification of Letters Patent.

. Patented Oct. 29. 1 907.

. Application filed June. 5. 1907- Serial No. 377,436.

To all nihom'it may concern:

Be it known that I, MELYILIiE CLARK, a citizen of the nUnited States, residing at Chicago, in the .county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented'new and use ful Improvements in. Combined Automatic and Manually-Operated Pianos, of which the following is a speci-.

fication, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part'thereof. 1 The purpose of this invention is to provide an improved construction forinterior automatic playing devices in a piano designed both for manual and automatic operation, the construction being contrived with special reference to more compact disposition 'of the severalparts and access to such portions thereof as require attention from time to time, and for the easier remowal'of the entire automatic action bodily when such removal, may be necessary or desirable to facilitatingaccess tothe ordinary'piano action. i

It consists of the features of construction shown and described as-indicated in the claims Inthe drawings:,Figure 1 is a vertical fore-and-aft sectional view of a portion of a piano having the iniproved interior playing devices of this invention. Fig. I

larly described in my Patent No. 795.817, dated Aug 1, 1905, involving the employment of the hanger boards, 5, interposed between'the foundation board.

3, below the'pumpers, and aboard. 6. which extends above the pumpers. and. which beingreniovably secured to the under side of the key table servesto connect the entire bellows construction, comprising pumpers and receiver removably with the key table below the latter.

The pneumatic action; comprising the primary pneumatics, 9, and'their chamber, 8. and the motor pneumatics, 12, and the parts by which the primary pneumatics control them and by which said motor pneumatics operate upon the keys, is mounted entirely above the'key table, and.not only abovethe key table but above the manual keys themselves, except that for connection of the primary pneumatic chamber with the exhaust air bellows or receiver, 2, hollow legs, 8, extend down from the end portions of,the primary pneumatic chamberpast the keys at both ends of the manual, and at their lower ends registerwith the ports, 4", extending through the key table in connection with the hanger boards, 5, as above mentioned. These legs serve to support the entire action directly upon the key table, other support or bracing being provided, ,if found necessary, by means of'blocks or brackets extending from the end checks of the case.

I The entire pneumatic action thus constitutes a unitarystructure adapted for removal bodily from the piano case whenever desirable for affording convenient ac cess to the piano action or for any other purpose. Of this unitary structure; the primary pneumatic chamher or case, 8, constitutes the front part, the motor pneumatics, 12, being mounted in erect position behind this chamber and being connected therewith by means of a horizontal duct board, 15, in which are formed ducts leading from the front wall of the primary pneun atic chamber to the upright duct boards; 16, on which the motor neumatics are mounted in staggered arrangement in a plurality of courses.

. The front wallot' the primary pneumatic chamber having the ducts as stated,'it will be observed, has the.

ports, 13, 13, which are controlled by the ,valves, 10,

observed that the ports, 13, for access of atmospheric air, being at the front side of this front wall of the front element of the-pneumatic action, the most convenient access is afforded to the valves for adjusting them-to cause them to seat accurately and similarly, as is necessary for uniformity of operation of such devices. This "primary pncumaticchamber-is constructed as shown in my Patent No. 846,090," dated March 5, 1907, with-its front .wall having. a removable strip, 31, through which access is obtained to the leak ports, 29, folsuch atteiition as they require in orderto produce uniformity of 1 action of all the primaries. I Thus all the attention the primary pneumatic chamber requires isobtained readily at the forward side upon'the removal of the front panel or name board,-27, of the case, which, as usual, is made removable for that ,piirpose. The motor 'pneumiitics have their movable element hinged at the'lower end and vibrating at the upper end in the expansion and collapse of said neumatics; andfor giving the stroke to the keys there is provided for each motor pneumatic a bell-crank.lever,-l9--20, having its upstanding arm, 1'9, extending up behind the pneumatic'b'y which it is to be operated, and its horizontal arm, 20, extending off rearward overhanging the key upon which it is to operate,

all said bell-crank levers being fulcrumed on a rod, 22,

performed by the forward movement of the upstanding arm upon the collapse of the motor pneumatic and the upward movement of the rearwardly extending horizontal arm, 20, This necessitates connection of said horizontal arm with thekey which is to be operated withan upward pull on said key; and for this purpose each key has secured to it a headedistud or finger, 24,

- threaded si'tud, 25, projecting rearward from the upper. .10

end of the moving wall of the pneumatic, which extends beyond the bellows portion for that purpose, the upper end oi the bell-crank lever arm being apertured to permit the stud to pass through it, and an adjusting nut being provided on the stud at both. sides of said arm, so that each individual bell-crank lever can be adjusted to bring the end of the horizontal arm, 20, into acmirate relation with the Head, 24, of the stud by;

which it engages the manual'key which it is {to operate.

These adjusting nuts being atthe upper end of the p'neumatics are in plain view and easy access for the purpose of the'adjustment described, whenever the vpneumatic action, as a whole, is exposed by removing ,the front board or mils i desk, 30, which may be removed together with the ledge or shoulder board, 32 In order that the flexible tubes, 36,v leading from the primary pneumatics to the tracker board, 35, may exi tend off-rearward from their connectionwith the primary pneumatic ducts, as is desirable 'in view of the position of the primary pneumatic chamber so far forward as it is shown located, I make the top board, 8, of the primary pneumatic chamber with angle ducts, 8 whose horizontal rearward branchends at the rear edge of said top board and receives the ends of the flexible, tubes, 36, while its vertical member ends at the lower face of said top board and registers withthe upper end, of the primary pneumatic duct, 37 The underside of the top board, 8", is faced, where the angle ducts open through it, with suitable packing material so that an I air-tight joint is formed between the angle ducts, 8",:

and the primary pneumatic ducts, 37,'when the top board is fastened-in place. For greater convenience in! obtaining access-to the upper endsof the motor pneumatics for adjusting the connections of the bell-crank levers therewithfthis top board, 8*, maybe detached and without detaching therefrom the fiexible'tubes, 36, may be lifted out of the way for access to the upper ends of the-bell-crank levers.

I claim 1. In a combined manually operated and automatic piano, the pneumatic action.locat ed,above the nuai keys piano, a pneumatic action located above the manual keys; rearward of the portion thereof exposed for manualupiayactuate the keys.-

, from said levers to the moving walls 01' the respective mo- Chicago, Illinois, this 18th day of Mayfrk D., 1907.

strolling primary pneuina tlcs, and connections operated by the motor pneumatics engaging the keys at the rear of sllid' pneumatics for pulling the rear endsof thekeys' upward. 2. In a combined 'manually operated fand automatic ing, comprising motor pneumatlcs and their respective coritroiling primary .pneuniatics, the motor pneipnaties being mounted in upright position above the manuiil keys; boilcran levers having upstanding'arms behindthej motor pneumatlcs respectively, and rearwardly extending. arms overhanging the keys respectively; and'means by' which the upper ends 0! the upstanding arms'are engaged by the limotor'pneumatics, and the rear-ends of the rearwardly extend ing arms engage the keys 3. In a combined manually operated and arithmetic piano, a. pneumatic action located above -th eman l lalvlrey's rearward of the portion thereof exposed for manual play ing, such connection comprisingnr prlmary pne'umatic chamber at the forward part and upstanding motor pn eu matics behind said chamber, and mca'ns rearwardiof said" upsthnding motor pneumatics by which they operate the manual keys with upward pull thereon.

piano; a pneumatic action-located above the manual keysrearwar" t the portion'thereof exposed tor manual play- 'ing. comprising a primary' pneumatic chamber at the forl-,

ward part of said pneumatic action-and primary pn'eu-. .maticsthercim the forward wail. of said primary. pnefu v matic chamber having the ducts-and ports for cpnn'ection with the motor pneumatics respectively; a duct. lwmfd nt the lower end.of said primary pneumatic chamber extehlb 1 '85 upstanding" from said rearwardly extending ductbonrd at lug rearward thereunder and therebeyondi dudtl'boards' thc'rear of theprimary pneumatic chambefifmotorfpn ew' matics-on said upstanding duct boards; bell-crank levers fulc rumed on the rear si'dc of said horizontal duct boardhaving upstanding arms rearward of the motor pneumatics respectively, and rearwardly extendingarms overhanging the keys respectively, and connections by which said bellcrank levers are actuated by the motor pneumatics and.

- i i i In a combined manually-operated and automatic piano, in combination with the manual keys, ir'pneumatic acthereof exposed for manual playing, comprisln'g'a primary pneumatic chamber at the forward part motor pnui'naia motor pneumatics respectively; means by which the levrs,: I

ics rearward of such chnmberand levers rearwardo t such actuate tlie keys respectively and adjustable .eo'nnec tions tor pneumatics matics. r In testimony whereof, I have hereunto :"set' my hand a:

zit-the upper ends of said levers and pn'em-Z 4. In a combined manually operated and automatic tion'locatedabove the manual keys rearw'ard of the portioi f 

